© A. Pappone
In the eastern part of Ghana, towards the border with Togo, lies the Volta Region. It is the most beautiful part of the country and suitable for nature walks, with fertile land flanked by rocky formations, mountain ranges offering beautiful views and breathtaking scenery on the shores of the boundless Volta reservoir and the Akosombo dam.
Today, Akosombo is an important holiday resort for its beautiful lakeside beaches and tourist attractions, but its surroundings are still populated with small traditional villages inhabited by the Krobo people, who have maintained a lifestyle in keeping with tradition.
Every year in April, the Krobo celebrate the Dipo ceremony, the initiation of young girls. The training process lasts several weeks and each day represents an important step towards adulthood. The last stage involves the girls being purified on the bank of the sacred river, stripped naked and washed, their hair cut and finally prepared to wear the beautiful and colourful glass beads, typical of the region, an important symbol of femininity, beauty and wealth for the Krobo woman. Even today, local craftsmen perpetuate the secrets of these beautiful handicrafts in traditional workshops, a treasure trove of one of the oldest traditions in West Africa. The symbolic and anecdotal language associated with the colours and decorative motifs obtained from glass fusion is interesting. If the white beads are associated with moments of celebration and the black ones with mourning, a whole range of colours is combined to signify warnings and proverbs linked to the Krobo tradition.
Another very colourful ceremony steeped in tradition is the Millet Festival, held in October at the end of the rainy season. The entire population flocks to thank the voodoo deities for the good harvest season and parties are held for several days, with music, dancing and food. The heads of the clans come on parade, richly dressed and carried on sedan chairs protected by large decorated umbrellas, supported by servants. A full immersion in the culture, customs and spiritual universe of one of Ghana’s most enigmatic peoples.
Krobo ceremonies, like Ashanti ceremonies, are certainly the most spectacular in Ghana.
